Eucharist

Refer to our Sunday Experience pages to find different prayers to pray as a family sometime during the week as well as setting up a prayer space and other activities as a family.

For the Learn do the following:

1. Watch Video at the top of the page. (if you want more resources, or are interested in learning more about the topic click on the Extra tab).
2. Click on the appropriate grade for your child.
3. Read the "relates to..." section at the beginning.  This is helpful to understand what to convey to your child is important about this lesson.  It will        help make the lesson both an intellectual and a lived lesson.
4. Read through and familiarize yourself with the sample script. 
5. Teach your child the lesson, either using your own words or the sample script.
6. Either discuss the questions with your child (best option), or have your child write out answers to the questions.
7. Have your child do the activities and/or do the activities with them.  
8. If working with a parish return the appropriate material in the way they have requested.

All Content for "The Way", Learn, is original content and copyright of the Diocese of Kalamazoo and may not be copied, reproduced, or used without prior written consent of the Diocese of Kalamazoo.   © 2020 Diocese of Kalamazoo

Relates to Jesus: Jesus desires to remain with us and to remain with us always. The gift of Himself in the Eucharist maintains Jesus' active presence with His people.

Relates to my Faith: The Church holds the Eucharist as the central teaching of our faith. The Eucharist is the source of our faith and provides the faithful with sustaining grace.

Sample Script:
Make the sign of the Cross over yourself. The Son is the second person of the Trinity, and the son is Jesus! The Son of God became man, and he died on the cross, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He lived a long time ago, but he is still present to us today! Jesus no longer walks around on earth like we do, but he is present especially at Mass when we hear the Gospels and readings read, in the priest at Mass, in the community where two or more are gathered, and at the Altar. And he is present in a very, very special way in the Eucharist. 

The Eucharist is Jesus. The Eucharist is his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity-- all of Jesus! This is special because it is how Jesus is most fully present to us. How? The bread we see at Mass is transformed through transubstantiation-- that's the moment the bread is no longer bread and becomes Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, and it happens when the priest says, "This is my Body which will be given up for you," and " This is my Blood." After the priest or Bishop says these words, there is a real difference between altar bread and the Eucharist. This is a miracle that happens at every Mass! Jesus makes himself look, taste and feel like bread because he loves us--though he no longer walks on earth he still wants to be close to us, and he wants us to know that he is here. 

Questions: 
Refresher! Who is the second person of the Trinity? 
How is Jesus still present to us today, even though he doesn’t walk around on earth anymore?
Where is all of Jesus (his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) present? 
What does Jesus look, taste and feel like?
Why does Jesus do this? 

Activities: 
Draw a picture of Jesus, and then draw a circle over his chest--this can help us remember that the circle piece of bread at Mass is Jesus! 

Practice saying the word “tran-sub-stan-ti-a-tion”. Explain to a family member what this word means.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus' gift of Himself in the Eucharist is His abiding presence with us is the greatest gift to the Catholic Church and makes the Church the fullness of divine revealed truth.

Relates to my Faith: The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who desires to be in relationship with us. This is why worship at weekly Sunday Mass and participation in the Sacraments and prayer are so very important.

Sample Script:
Recall the sign of the Cross and make it on yourself. The second person of the Trinity, the Son, is Jesus! He has always been God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but at a point in time he became man, died on the cross, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Though he no longer walks around on earth like we do, Jesus is present to us. He is present in Scripture, in the priest at Mass, the whole community at Mass, and the Altar. And different from these, he is present in a special way in the Eucharist! 

The Eucharist is Jesus. His Body, Blood, Soul and his Divinity. When you will receive the Eucharist at Mass, you will receive Jesus himself! The bread is transformed during Mass through transubstantiation (trans-sub-stan-ti-a-tion) when the priest or the bishop says the words the Jesus said at the Last Supper," This is my body which will be given up for you," then, " This is my blood...". Though they look the same, there was a real difference between the altar bread and the Eucharist. 

When we receive the Eucharist, we are changed in a way that we can't see either-- we become living tabernacles with Jesus dwelling in us! So after communion it is important to take quiet time and prayer to thank Jesus for being present in you! When we receive Jesus we receive fruits as well. The fruits of receiving the Holy Eucharist are becoming more fully joined to Christ, more fully united to the Church which is God's family, we are freed from all venial sins, preserved from mortal sins, and our faith in God made more solid. These are incredible fruits, and in order to receive them before we receive the Holy Eucharist we must be free from mortal sin, make sure we observe the fast by not eating or drinking anything except water for one hour before receiving Communion, and we want to listen and respond during Mass. When we are more present to Jesus, she is able to be more present to us! 

Questions: 
How is Jesus present to us in Mass?
Where is he fully present in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity?
When at Mass is the altar bread transformed into Jesus himself?
Who do we receive when we receive the Eucharist? 
What are the fruits of receiving the Eucharist? What must we do to receive these fruits? 

Activities: 
Make a chart with those things that we must do to receive the fruits of the Eucharist that you can check off each Sunday before going to Mass to remind yourself what needs to be done! Below, make a checklist of the fruits you will receive in the Eucharist that you can check off when you come home! 

Read with your parents the Last Supper discourse from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 22:14-20). This is when Jesus instituted the Eucharist. Does it sound familiar? 

Relates to Jesus: Jesus' Incarnation and abiding presence in the Eucharist shows His desire to remain with us always, "until the close of the age".

Relates to my Faith: The Catholic Church rightly professes to be the temple of God, as the Sacraments communicate the reality of the divine life of God present and available for her people.

Sample Script:
At the end of his earthly life, Jesus gave all of himself over to all people. "He loved his own who were in the world and he loved them to the end" (John 13:1). At the Last Supper, he took the bread from their meal and broke it. Giving it to each of the apostles he said, "Take and eat, this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and said, Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-27). Do these words sound familiar? At the Last Supper Jesus gave himself, his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity to his apostles because he foresees his own death, where he will give all of Himself to all people. 

Though Jesus died for us, resurrected and ascended into heaven, he wanted to remain close to us, and that is why he instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper. It is a memorial of his death--just as he gave us his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity on the cross, he gives us his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Jesus Himself? During Mass the bread transforms into Jesus when the priest or bishop says the words, “This is my body” and “This is my blood…” even though it still appears to be bread and wine. 

Imagine a summit, the highest point of a mountain--the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. All other sacraments, our works and our prayers all point to the Eucharist because it is Christ Himself. We receive him in the Eucharist at Mass, but Jesus is also present inside the tabernacle. The Eucharist that no one receives during Mass is put safely in the tabernacle, which means that we can visit Jesus at church even when Mass is not happening. We also have opportunities to go to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which is a time when Jesus is presented in a monstrance, a beautiful case that displays him while we can sit, listen and talk to him in our hearts. In each of these places we can encounter Jesus, in the Eucharist at Mass, in the tabernacle or in the monstrance during Adoration, when he is fully present in the Eucharist. 

Questions: 
When are the 2 instances Jesus gave all of Himself--his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity?
Where can we encounter Jesus, fully present, now? 
Why did Jesus institute the Eucharist? 
Why is the Eucharist called “the summit” of the Christian life? 
Where can we encounter Jesus fully present in the Eucharist besides Mass? 

Activities: 
Read the account of the Last Supper from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 22:14-20) the night before you go to Mass. Pay attention to when the priest also reads the account of the Last Supper during Mass, and the prayers he says. 

Were you excited to receive your First Communion? Do you remember that feeling? Do you still feel that way every Sunday at Mass? Why or why not?

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, so it follows that He didn't just do His ministry over 3 years in history, but rather that He ordained the Eucharist as the principle means by which He would remain with His people.

Relates to my Faith: The Eucharist, and thus Jesus, is always with us and reminds you and I that each experience of our life, the good, the bad, and the ugly, is worthy of His love and mercy.

Sample Script:
What is the greatest gift you’ve ever received, and why? Similarly, the greatest gift, and the greatest sacrament we can receive is the Eucharist, because the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. When we receive the Eucharist at Mass, we receive Jesus himself!

This is not something the Church invented, it is what Jesus celebrated at the Last Supper. He anticipated his own death, in which he would give his Body, Blood Soul and Divinity over to all people by dying on the cross for them. So He established the sacrament that embodies his self-gift in the Paschal Mystery to remain close to you and I. He loves you and I so much that he died so we could be united with him in heaven one day, and he gave us the Eucharist so that we can be united with him even now! 

Jesus told us, “the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51), and “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him” (John 6:56). We do this at Mass when the bread is transformed into Jesus, even as it still appears to be bread and wine. It is transformed at the words of the institution, “This is my body” and, “This is my blood…” said by the priest or the bishop, the same words Jesus said at the Last Supper. When we receive him, we are joined more fully to Christ, we are more fully united with the Church who is God’s family, we are freed from venial sins and preserved from mortal sins, and our faith is made more solid! 

In order to fruitfully receive all of this, we should make sure we are prepared to receive Jesus into ourselves! That means we should be free from mortal sin, make sure we don’t eat or drink anything (except water) in the car on the way to Church, or an hour before receiving Communion, and once we get to Mass we don’t want to zone out. Try your best to pay attention to what the priest says and the prayers that you say in response. We are meant to take away something from Mass that we can think about, so we should do our best to be fully present at Mass like Jesus is! 

Questions: 
What is the greatest sacrament we can receive? 
What is the Eucharist? What does the Eucharist embody? 
What happens in us when we receive the Eucharist? 
What can we do to prepare for receiving the Eucharist? 
What occurs at Mass to change the bread and wine to the body and blood of Christ?

Activities: 
The next time you go to Mass, bring a journal where you can write down one takeaway that you heard from Mass. This is a neat habit to make so that you can always look back on what struck you most. 

While you are at Mass practice being present to what is occurring.  Many times people tend to think about what they will do after Mass.  Catch yourself when you begin to zone out.

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus promised to be with us always and we find His presence explicitly in the Eucharist, in which we encounter Him Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

Relates to my Faith:  We are called to approach the Eucharist with an openness to receive the grace to love God and to love neighbor.

Sample Script:
The greatest sacrament available to us is also the source and summit of our lives as Christians. Our prayer, our good works and even all of the other sacraments all point to this--the Eucharist. The Eucharist is central and so important because when we receive the Eucharist, we receive Jesus himself. The Eucharist is his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus--all of him! 

In the Eucharist Jesus remains fully present to us. While on earth, he gave himself under the appearance of bread and wine to his apostles at the Last Supper shortly before his death, saying “This is my body” and, “This is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-27). He announced much earlier that he would do so, when he said “the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). At Mass, the bread transforms into Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity when the priest or bishop says the words, “This is my body” and, “This is my blood…” even as it still appears to be bread and wine. 

Jesus instituted the Eucharist so that he could always remain fully present to us and be united to us, in anticipation of heaven! When we receive him, we are joined more fully to Christ, we are more fully united with the Church who is God’s family, we are freed from venial sins and preserved from mortal sins, and our faith is made more solid! 

In order to fruitfully receive all of this, we should make sure we are prepared to receive Jesus into ourselves! That means we should be free from mortal sin, make sure we don’t eat or drink anything (except water) in the car on the way to Church, or an hour before receiving Communion, and once we get to Mass we don’t want to zone out. Try your best to pay attention to what the priest says and the prayers that you say in response. We are meant to take away something from Mass that we can think about, so we should do our best to be fully present at Mass like Jesus is! 

Questions: 
What is our Christian life centered around, and why? 
When and how does the bread become Jesus during Mass? 
What happens in us when we receive the Eucharist? 
What can we do to prepare for receiving Jesus? 
What is it called when the bread and wine become the body and blood?

Activities: 
Sometimes it can be hard to believe that the Eucharist we receive is really Jesus. To help solidify your faith, read the words from Jesus himself recorded in Scripture, and explain what Jesus says to another family member. John 6:30-59

Discuss why you think it is important for us to have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to our First Communion.

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus can be found anywhere around us that we find the good. All that participates in the good speaks something of Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Jesus' presence among us.

Relates to my Faith:  The Catholic Church expresses the availability of God in our lives, showing that His loving presence intends to be intimately involved in our lives.

Sample Script:
God makes himself present to us in different ways, and in them we encounter different degrees of his presence. First, God created all things, and because all things share in the life that he has, his presence is everywhere and in all things. We especially encounter God’s presence in the liturgy, like in the Scripture readings where we encounter the living Word, or in the people, for Jesus says, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). During the liturgy the priest is “in persona Christi” which means “in the person of Christ”, whereby he truly represents Christ, and possesses the power and place of Jesus himself. These are all ways that God is present, but it is only in the Eucharist that we encounter Jesus fully present, his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. All of Jesus is present in the Eucharist. 

Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper in anticipation of his death, where he gave his whole self--Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity--for mankind. The Eucharist is a memorial that encapsulates the Paschal Mystery where Jesus is still truly present to us. At Mass, the bread transforms into Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity when the priest or bishop, “in persona Christi”, says the words, “This is my body” and, “This is my blood…” even as it still appears to be bread and wine. St. Teresa of Calcutta put it, “The Cross shows us how much Jesus loved us then; the Eucharist shows us how much he loves us now.” 

The word “Eucharist”, in Greek “eucharistia” means thanksgiving. At Mass the priest also leads the Congregation in a prayer of thanksgiving for this incredible gift. We can also make a personal prayer in our hearts, at Mass or anywhere, thanking Jesus for loving us so much so as to give himself to us in the Eucharist now. 

Questions: 
Where do we encounter God’s presence?
Is God present in the same way in his creation as the priest during Mass? 
Where is the one place Jesus is fully present to us?
Why did Jesus institute the Eucharist? 
What does the word Eucharist mean? 

Activities: 
Even though we cannot see Jesus as he is until we reach heaven, he is nevertheless fully present in the Eucharist, veiled under the appearance of bread and wine. Take a little time to reflect and journal about the fact that you receive Jesus during Mass. What is a way you could be more fully present during Mass (paying better attention, participating in the prayers or even some personal prayer time before or after Mass) while he is fully present to you? 

Discuss what must have the apostles thought at the Last Supper.  Imagine Jesus' request to them of taking and eating in remembrance of him.  The faith that Jesus asked of them at the Last Supper is what he asks of us at Mass.    

Relates to Jesus: Jesus gave the gift of Himself for all on the Cross, handed down His teachings to the disciples, and left His Body and Blood with the Apostles (the first Bishops) to ensure that He Himself will remain with all in truth and love.

Relates to my Faith: The Catholic Church is entrusted to hand down the teachings of Christ in faith and morals so that man might live his eternal destination of fullness and happiness.

Sample Script:
At the Last Supper, when Jesus shared a meal with his apostles before he was put to death, he took the bread of their meal and said, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Jesus himself, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. When he says, “Do this in remembrance of me”, he is not only asking us to remember him and what he did. He commands, “Do this..” telling his apostles to celebrate this memorial of his life, death, and Resurrection. From the beginning the Church has remained faithful to his command. In the book of Acts in the New Testament it is described, “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42). 

Just as the command was given to the apostles--the first bishops--only a validly ordained bishop or priest (by permission from the bishop) can validly consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus at Mass. By the sacrament of Holy Orders the priest or bishop can act “in persona Christi” which means “in the person of Christ” offering the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus instituted the Eucharist so that he could remain close to us, and remain fully present to us even though he no longer lives on earth like we do. He wants to be intimately united with us, so the power of the words and the action of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, makes present under the appearance of bread and wine Christ’s body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross. 

It was on the first day of the week, Sunday, that Christians came together and broke bread  (Acts 20:7), because the sacrifice of Jesus and the gift of the Eucharist was a fulfillment of Passover--a feast celebrated by the Jewish people remembering when all of the firstborn sons were saved from the final plague that struck Egypt and the Pharaoh, when the Spirit literally passed over their homes. The Spirit did not enter the homes of the Israelites who took an unblemished lamb, killed it and spread the blood on their doorposts, and then the family ate the whole lamb together; thus the sons were saved. This was a BIG DEAL to the Israelites, that they were saved and then freed from Egypt under slavery of the Pharoah by God’s power, and they continued to celebrate this feast of Passover even unto when Jesus lived. Jesus is the new passover lamb--unblemished because he never sinned, his blood poured out on the cross like the lamb’s blood on the door post, and the family ate the whole lamb together, just like we receive all of Jesus when we consume the Eucharist. And by the lamb’s blood and eating the lamb the sons were saved--just as we receive salvation by Jesus’ blood and flesh. This great fulfillment of the Passover is what we celebrate at Easter! Everything that Jesus did in the Paschal Mystery--his suffering, death, and Resurrection. This is why Easter is the greatest feast that we celebrate! 

Questions: 
What did Jesus institute at the Last Supper? 
What is the Eucharist? 
How is Jesus’ sacrifice and the institution of the Eucharist a fulfillment of the feast of Passover? 
What Sacrament allows others to act "in persona Christi"?
What do we do to prepare for receiving the Eucharist at Mass?


Activities: 
To jog your memory, read about the Israelites in Egypt when they have almost been freed from slavery and witness the final plague. Find the elements that correlate with Jesus as the new lamb. Exodus 12:1-36. 

Even though we cannot see Jesus as he is until we reach heaven, he is nevertheless fully present in the Eucharist, veiled under the appearance of bread and wine. Take a little time to reflect and journal about the fact that you receive Jesus during Mass. What is a way you could be more fully present during Mass (paying better attention, participating in the prayers or even some personal prayer time before or after Mass) while he is fully present to you? 

Relates to Jesus: The Eucharist is the source and height of our Catholic Christian faith as we truly receive Him Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. The Eucharist is central to our belief and there is no other way to receive the fullness of Jesus Christ grace in this life.

Relates to my Faith:  Mass and participation in the Eucharist weekly needs to be a priority in our life to receive the grace necessary to know, love, and serve God.

Sample Script:
The celebration of the Mass and the sacrament of the Eucharist are well rooted in history. It is not a new or invented liturgical celebration. In the 2nd Century, from 155 A.D., only about 100 years after Jesus’ lifetime on earth, St. Justin Martyr wrote down and recorded the basic elements of the celebration of the Eucharist. They can be found in the Catechism, paragraph 1345, read the elements closely: 

On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.

The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits.

When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.

Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.

When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.

Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren.

He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.

When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'

When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the "eucharisted" bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.

Does this order of celebration sound familiar? It is the same structure of the Mass and how we celebrate the Eucharist today. This structure has not changed since the 2nd Century, almost 2,000 years--because this is the structure of how Jesus instituted the Eucharist! He read Scripture with his disciples and taught them what they meant, then he “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20). 

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, and what everything in our life points to: Jesus himself. The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, and he is who we receive at Mass. It is a memorial of all Jesus gave in his sacrifice on the Cross that is made present during the Eucharistic celebration, and how Jesus himself is fully present to us. 

Questions: 
What elements of the Mass recorded by St. Justin sounded most familiar to you?
Did any element seem unfamiliar or surprise you? 
How is the structure of Jesus’s teaching like that of our Eucharitis celebration?
What does that say about the Church? 
What does it mean that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist? 

Activities: 
Explain to a member of your family the basic structure of the Eucharistic celebration, and how similar it is to the celebrations of our Early Church.

At Mass, begin to notice if you are engaged in the parts of the Mass or if you begin to zone out.  Call yourself back to what is occurring and why.

The Holy Eucharist

Scriptural References: OT: Gen 14:18; Gen. 22:9-13; Exodus 12:14,17,24; cf. Ex 24:8-11; Ex 29:33, 38-39; Lev 19:22; 2 Kings 4:43; 2 Chron. 26:18; 30:15-17; 35:1,6,11,13; Jer 33:18; Isaiah 53:7; Zech. 9:15-16; Neh. 9:15; Wis.16:20; Psalm 78:24-25; 105:40; Ezra 6:20-21; Ezek. 6:20-21   NT: Matt. 14:19, 15:36; 26:26-28; Mark 6:41, 8:6; 14:22-24; Luke 9:16; 22:19-20; Luke 24:26-35; John 6;  Acts 2:42; 20:28; 1 Cor 11:23-34; Rev. 2:7; 22:14 

Catechism References: CCC nos. 1322-1405

Videos:  Sophia Sketchpad: The Eucharist (Beginner material) 6 m 38s;
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on The Meaning of the Mass (Intermediate material) 29 m  
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers The Transformative Power of the Real Presence (Intermediate material) 1 h 54 m
Scott Hahn: Understanding the Mass Through Scripture (Expert material) 1h 4m  

Definition: The sacrament is the body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. It is both a person and an action. The person is Jesus Christ received in forms of bread and wine, in Holy Communion. The action is the sacrifice of the Mass, which is the representation in an unbloody manner of and participation in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross. It is “the source and summit of ecclesial life”. (Lumen Gentium no. 11 also CCC #1324), and completes Christian initiation.  In the sacrifice of the Mass, the Church joins together with Christ in the true worship of God the Father through the action of the Holy Spirit working through the priest, who acts in the person of Christ.

In this sacrament, the priest offers bread and wine to the triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). By the prayers of consecration, through the action of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become Jesus Christ made truly, really, and substantially present in his body, blood, soul, and divinity such that only the forms, or species, of bread and wine are sensible, but their reality is Jesus Christ. Thus the language of “bread” and “wine” are not used in reference to their forms once consecrated. Instead the Church uses the language of consecration (i.e., Body of Christ, consecrated hosts, Precious blood, Eucharistic species, etc.). It is the culmination of all Catholic evangelization efforts (because reception of the sacrament presumes in recipient the state of grace necessary for salvation). (Evangelii Nuntiandi, no.28.)
It is the actual and anticipated final union of God and Man for which we were all created, and thus the chief Sacrament toward which all other sacraments are oriented and tend.  

Terms

Transubstantiation—the changing of the metaphysical substance of a thing into the metaphysical subtance of another thing while maintaining the same sensible form. In the case of the Holy Eucharist, at the words of consecration during the Eucharistic prayer, by the action of the priest offering the bread and wine, calling down the Holy Spirit, and saying the words of consecration, the bread and wine become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ while maintaining the physical (or sensible) attributes of bread and wine. Both the consecrated bread and the consecrated wine maintain all their physical qualities, but in their essence become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ no matter how small the particle or drop, and remains (persists) in its new substance until consumed or destroyed. They do not change back to bread and wine after some specified or unspecified  period of time. (Destruction does not consist of merely breaking the bread into indistguishable smaller pieces. All that does is create smaller consdecrated species which are still fully Jesus Christ. Destruction would have to occur by a means that changes the physical attributes of the bread into, for example, into mold or fully burnt carbon).

Note: Martin Luther believed that the substances of bread and wine are shared with Christ’s presence, and that the substance of Christ does not remain (persist). This teaching was condemned by the Church at the Council of Trent. 

Real Presence—term that refers to the substantial presence of Christ, that is, Christ’s body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the form of bread and wine after their consecration.

Eucharistic species: Another term for the sacramental elements of bread and wine that will be used for the Eucharistic offering for consecration. It can also be used for the sacramental elements after they are consecrated.

Liceity: A canonical legal term that refers to whether a thing may (as opposed to can) take place or be used. The term refers to ecclesiastical or canonical permissions. For example, a priest always has the spiritual power (ability) to offer Mass and absolve sins, but he must have the requisite permissions (faculties) to do so from his Bishop or Superior. If he does so without those permissions, the Mass or confession is valid, but not licit. That means it is accomplished, but he did so against Church law, which can come with ecclesiastical penalties. 

Validity: A canonical legal term that refers to whether a thing can (as opposed to may) occur or be used. It refers to the ontological or real (in terms of absolute reality) nature of a thing. For instance, no matter how pure and sincere his intent, a priest cannot cannot consecrate pizza and coke into the Body and Blood of Christ, because the elements are not valid matter. In the case of the priesthood, someone who is not ordained a priest, even if he or she were to wear all the correct vestments and use all the correct words of the Mass and have all the correct matter and accourtements used for the Mass, cannot consecrate even valid matter into the body and blood of Christ because anyone not sacramentally ordained a priest does not have the spiritual powers necessary to do so.       

Matter, Form, and Minister of Holy Eucharist

Matter: The material signs of the Eucharist are the bread and wine. For the validity of the sacrament, the bread may be made of water and wheat only and the wine must be made from grapes only. In no case may oil, honey, or any other ingredients ever be used for the bread, and no additional ingredients besides grapes may be used for the sacramental wine. This is why the wine must be approved for liturigcal use and cannot just be from off the shelf of a local market, since most wines sold at markets have other fruits and flavors. To use matter that is not specified by Canon Law, invalidates the matter, and no consecration is able to take place, even if the correct words of consecration are said and all is done with the correct intent. (Note: A little water is added to the wine during the offertory at the Mass to represent the blood and water which flowed from the side of Christ on the cross. Also, in the Eastern Catholic rites, leaven is used licitly.)  

Form: The words of consecration spoken by the priest are the form of the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Correct intent, that is, the intention that the bread and wine are to offered to become the body and blood of Christ is also necessary for validity of the sacrament. 

Ordinary minister: The ordinary minister for the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is a Bishop or priest. 

Extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist: These may be deacons or even qualified lay people who are given special permission to take Holy Communion to the sick or those who are not able to attend Mass or to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion at Mass or a Eucharistic liturgy. Usually,  this permission is given by the pastor of the parish church or congregation to which they belong. Under usual circumstances, this permission is given after proper formation and training in the understanding and ministry of the sacrament of Holy Communion. For lay people, this permission is intended by ecclesiastical authority to be temporary and limited in nature, though  permissions may be renewed as per the pastoral needs of the pastor.  

Names by which the Sacrament is called

Holy Eucharist— From the Greek word, eucharistein, meaning thanksgiving.It refers to both the action of the Divine Liturgy (i.e., the Mass) and Holy Communion (the Eucharistic species themselves).

Holy Communion—Refers specifically to consecrated species and/or the reception thereof.  It is not used to refer to the Mass.

Divine Liturgy—refers to the liturgical celebration or offering of the sacrifice of the Mass itself and not to Holy Communion.

The Lord’s Supper—another reference to the Mass itself because of its connection with the Passover supper during which Our Lord instituted the sacrament, and because it anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb in the Heavenly Jerusalem.
Other names include, the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharistic Feast, the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist or Mass; the Memorial of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection; the Supper of the Lamb, and a number of others. 

Scriptural Basis:
The bible is replete with references to the Holy Eucharist. So, much so, that it would burdensome to list them all here. However, a large number of references with descriptions can be found at this website: https://www.scripturecatholic.com/the-eucharist/
That said, the primary references to the institution of the sacrament are found in the passion narratives of Gospels during the Last Supper narratives, and also in 1 Cor 11:23-34. Also, the entirety of John 6, which many Catholic bible scholars see as the center point in the structure of John’s Gospel is about the Eucharist.  Additional passages that the Evangelists make use of to direct us to the Eucharist are the two miracles of loaves and fishes found in Mt. 14:13-21 and in Mk 8:1-13.   There is a good explanation of the differences in the symbolic meaning of these two events at this webpage: https://restlesspilgrim.net/blog/2014/08/05/whats-the-difference-between-the-feeding-of-the-4000-and-the-5000/.

Old Testament typological references (prefigurement) can be found in the offering of bread and wine by Melchizedek  in Gen 14:18, the feeding of God’s chosen people with the Manna in the desert during the Exodus, the keeping of a piece of Manna in the Ark of the Covenant (Heb 9:4).